PALMA, ISLAND OF MALLORCA, BALEARIC ISLANDS, SPAIN: STARBUCKS CUPS, PEARLS, PALACES, MOUNTAINS, AND MORE!

Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Palma, The Island of Mallorca, Spain
69F, Rain, clouds, rain, sun

Our first Starbucks cup this trip!

 TK’s U.S. Navy ship, the U.S.S. Columbus stopped in Mallorca during one of his Mediterranean “cruises,” and we were both looking forward to this port.  His solitary memory was the Barbarella Discotheque, early 70s.  Actually, the Rolling Stones played the nightclub at times. When hearts were young! 

 

Palma from a scenic stop

Today we had a full tour with Spain Day Tours. I mentioned TK’s visit to our guide, Santiago (47 years old), and his face lit up! He said his parents used to go to that same discotheque!  The popular spot is gone now, and he said that discotheques are no longer allowed in the city of Palma. Later he showed us where the nightclub was located.

 

Santiago, our excellent tour guide, is a native Mallorcan and speaks both Spanish and Catalan.  There were only 18 of us on the tour, a great number.  The smaller bus was comfortable and first we did a tour of Palma.  The harbor was full of HUGE yachts belonging to billionaires who frequent the island.  Mallorca is only a two hour flight from many European cities. Brad Pitt has a home in a nearby area. I looked and looked for Brad but did not find him.

 

About one million people inhabit the island, its capital city, Palma de Mallorca has a population of around 500,000.  Santiago mentioned that the island has 20 million visitors a year, 18 million arrive by air, two million by sea.

 

Mallorca is the largest island in the Balearic Islands of Spain, located in the Mediterranean Sea. Both Spanish and the Mallorcan dialect of Catalan are official languages.  Tourism is the main economic driver.  Palma is the capital and largest city of both the island and the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands.

I learned something new—I never knew about the Balearic Sea, and that the Balearic Islands were another archipelago that belonged to Spain with five major islands are Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera, and Cabrera—information to file away for Jeopardy. Janie, this is a sure way to lose readers.

Other important information to Janie:

Settled by Phoenicians, Romans, Moors, the Aragon Kingdom, and Spain--somehow the Byzantines fit in too.

Palma has the 3^rd oldest working lighthouse in the world—700 years old.  Olive oil was used for the oil lamps.

Porta Pi Lighthous

The oldest round castle (Bellver) in Europe is in Palma, also 700 years old, since the 14^th century.

 

Bellver

Wikipedia-so you can see it is round--

 Other photos of Palma

"Maternity" by Joan Miró 

1893-1983

painter, scultptor, ceramist

influenced by Fauvism,

Surreamlism, and Abstraction

A native son

Another view of the harbor

Three cruise ships in port today

Courtyard!

Roman structure

Arab arch

More interesting electrical work closeup

Electrical work 

Gargoyle!

Mallorcan Pearls!

To Donna and Julie--you know there is

going to be a jewelry shop somewhere!

TK at the Starbucks while Janie

shops for pearls--he should not

do that!

This lovely main street had shops like

Louis Vuitton and Bulgari

Palace

Visiting Valldemossa--

After Palma, we headed to Valldemossa, a quaint village located in the heart of the Tramunta mountain range. The peak is about 3500 feet—we did encounter a group of Germans trekking the mountains—reminding me of the Appalachian trail hikers.  By this time it was raining more so we switched to rain gear and cell phone cameras. 

Beautiful gardens in front of

a palace

Santa Catalina Thomas is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church.  In her hometown of Valldemossa she is remembered on July 27 and 28, but her feast day is April 5.  The tiles pictured below are just some of those attached to homes throughout the area we visited today. I think they are beautiful.

Coca de patata/Potato Cake

We finished our day in Valldemossa with

one of these traditionally stuffed with 

vanilla ice cream-delicious!

Our way to get out of the rain!

As soon as we arrived back at the Island Princess it was time to get ready for dinner--here are some photos for our foodie friends---

TK's Fettucine Alfredo

Lemon Meringue Cheesecake--extravagant,

but worth it!

TK's Takes:  He likes the pleasant smell of  all the cities so far--they are "good smelly," like baking and frying. He used his new super duper umbrella today for the first time today--out of the last two cruises (Baltic and this one).  He was pleasantly surprised to find out that people remembered the Barbarella Discotheque.

For those who like TK's game, "Guess What Food This Is," here is one for you!

TK's mystery first course. I don't think anyone 

will get this one, so he will do the reveal tomorrow.

Stay tuned!

 

CARTAGENA: FROM TILED STREETS TO BANYAN TREES, WITH ROMAN RUINS AND THE SPANISH NAVY TOO!

Monday, October 19, 2026
Cartagena, Spain
72F, sunny

 

Port of Cartagena, 3000 years of
history ahead!

Today’s port, Cartagena, was a visual delight.  From the ship, it was a short walk to the blue marble tiled sidewalks and streets, tall buildings, and balconies with character. We also noted the heavy stone city wall to protect its vital port, massive colonial wealth, and treasure routes from Caribbean pirate attacks and rival European powers in earlier days.

What would we do without stairs and

hills to climb?? Actually,

we found away around these stairs!

Cartagena, Spain has a population of approximately 219,000 residents, with a wider metropolitan area of around 410,000 people.  Located on the southeastern coast of Spain in the Region of Murcia, it was founded in 227 BC by the Carthaginians.  It serves as the primary maritime base for the Spanish Navy on the Mediterranean Sea.

 

An fortress on a hill. I counted 5 such 

structures on hills overlooking the port!

This port was valuable!

Cartagena has ancient roots, over 2,200 years of history shaped by Carthaginian, Roman, Byzantine, Moorish, and Spanish rulers.  I think the Phoenicians fit in somewhere too.

I hope you can see the tiled street

and sidewalk

We walked along the beautiful streets, amazed by how decorative they were. After a stop at a café for our morning coffee, we looked for the Roman coliseum and forum, first discovered in 1988. Treasures!  I opted to visit the Museo Foro Romano, which was full of artifacts found during the archaeological dig, important vestiges of the Roman era. My Latin teacher, Mrs. Michael, would be very proud.  I am really so glad that I studied Latin and French, both help me, even in Spain and Italy.

 

Come with us as we stroll along!

We both loved this sign in

a restaurant. Sorry, Jim, too 

early for paella!

This photo does not do the 

beautiful white balconies justice

To prove that vehicles drive on the tiles!

This would not work in Erie--

Our coffee  here--and again we forgot to take

photos--TK tries the local specialty pastry

OK--to me this looks like an electrician's nightmare.

Son Brian, in a quick early morning text, said, 

"I would think so."

Closeup--we saw such setups everywhere

Friend Paul C chimed in too--not good!  

and Paul is an electrical engineer

TK said, "There are Roman ruins 

right behind you" as I sat at the cafe. 

Very observant I am.

Tile depiction of what the ruins might have represented

Somehow candy shops are like magnets to us

Candy Shop

From a slide show at the Museum of the Roman Forum-

both the forum and the colisseum 

were discovered in 1988

Glass bowls--3rd century

Frying pan--3rd century

Wall fragment--3rd century

Depicts a hunter

Amphora

Sanctuary of Isis--even though Isis

was an Egyptian goddess, her worship 

spread widely to Greece and Rome

Roman Colisseum being 

uncovered in Cartagena

This is what the area looked like in 1983 before

the Roman ruins were discovered

Fishermen and families lived here

Banyan trees, probably the largest we have ever seen

Not sure of the species, generally

Ficus benghalensis

TK's Takes:  He did a good job of reading the map of the city so we could find the Roman ruins.  He also saw a Spanish Navy submarine in the sea near the port, as well as a transport ship that carried equipment for the Army.  This was a very easy port to "navigate." 

Spanish Navy transport ship

Another gem TK spotted

on the sidewalk.

Finding out it what it 

means is another story...